“Right Now College Basketball is Owned By Connecticut.”

[UConnSwag11]

 

[Scot-e]

Not as far as I am concerned- and that’s all that matters. The shade doesn’t bother me anymore. Score board.

 

[gsmooth]

Caitlin Clark overshadowed South Carolina who was the team that defeated her Iowa team and won it all. I don't know if UConn is getting a "pin " of the attention that Clark got is hyperbole, but Clay Travis' overall point is correct.

I do think UConn is getting their fair share of positive press for winning it all 2 years in a row whether it's with the CBS studio analysts, to Colin Cowherd, Rich Eisen, and other talk show interviews, ESPN, and MSG showing their congratulatory message. Should they get more? Probably. Also remember this: Danny Hurley is the face of college basketball and he has his fair share of haters and UConn does, too. People will tune in to watch because they want to see UConn lose. Hurley is loved by UConn Nation, but for the most part hated by other fanbases which is great because it makes for more TV appearances.

Another thing to keep in mind is what Isiah Thomas of the Pistons said and what NY Giants fans say. Isiah said, "you can't tell the story of the Bulls without mentioning the Pistons" and Giants fans say, "you can't tell the story about Tom Brady and Patriots without mentioning Eli Manning and the NY Giants". Similarly, you can't tell the story about college basketball without mentioning the UConn Huskies.

 

[JMick]

If it was Duke, UNC or Kentucky doing what we did it would be all anyone is talking about.

 

[AllHusky]

Got news for you, buddies in DC, Texas, VA, NY all called me to congratulate me, like I had something to do with it. All said the same thing, people in their areas were talking about how amazing the UConn team was, and has been for two years

 

[Austin316]

 

[UConnSwag11]

We need one of these where Hurley and Co. are taking out Goodman, Seth Davis, the committee, etc

 

[Scottzer]

Got news for you, buddies in DC, Texas, VA, NY all called me to congratulate me, like I had something to do with it. All said the same thing, people in their areas were talking about how amazing the UConn team was, and has been for two years

Same here, and I have a suspicion that the women’s ratings were a lie. I don’t know many people who watched that game, yet I knew a lot of fans of other programs who caught the men’s game. I think it was part of a narrative to benefit ESPN and also help save the WNBA

 

[Hunt for 7]

I think it is going to take a couple years to answer this question. If Donovan becomes a dominant DPY in the NBA and Castle becomes an All Star or solid starter then it will start.

If Tristen can play a few good years in the NBA and Spencer gets a two way contract and plays some then you have four in the league.

I really think Samson has a shot to play in the NBA, he is an elite leaper and he is fast and long. He could become a very good NBA player if he ever develops a shot. But I can see him getting better and with some additional coaching become a defensive stopper. I don’t think he grew up playing the game but his measurable’s have to be off the chart. He is a top of the square leaper, he gets up faster than anyone I have seen. When he was rolling to the hoop you could see what would happen to Edey in pick roll coverage at the next level. He made Edey look very slow granted he was exhausted but he looked like his feet were in concrete. One of his dunks he took off nearer the foul line than the hoop. Made it look simple.

I think Alex will play in the NBA and I think he is going to find a way to stick. Next year will be huge for him if he stays or even if he goes. But I do think he can play himself into a for certain late first round pick if he decides to stay. I think Stewart has a shot to be an NBA player. If he starts hitting that three point shot gets in better shape he looks to have good instincts and looks very smooth. Shoot I think we may never see how good Ross could be or at least not in a Huskie uniform.

Point being there could be five or six NBA players on this team when all is said and done. If that happens which I think it could we will creep up the rankings. I think time will help this team be appreciated not only for the feat of the repeat but they may just have a few players that turn out to be very good if not great at the next level.

I saw one poll where we were not in the top 25 all time…..I question that. Simple reason the players are better today than they were in the 70’s and 80’s. Sure there were stars but the players now are bigger and all around better athletes. I am making a general statement. I understand each generation has greats like David Thompson but Burelson the big man on that team could not move nearly as well as Clingan. Jordan was Jordan and that Carolina team with Worthy I will submit was -probably better.

But player for player the players in 2024 are bigger and faster than the players that played in the late 60’s 70’s and 80’s. Again conceding that Johnson, Bird and Jordan came in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The college world was not flush with guys 6’7” or taller who could make 40% of their shots from further than 23 ft in the years that produced the all time greats mentioned.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

I think it is going to take a couple years to answer this question. If Donovan becomes a dominant DPY in the NBA and Castle becomes an All Star or solid starter then it will start.

If Tristen can play a few good years in the NBA and Spencer gets a two way contract and plays some then you have four in the league.

I really think Samson has a shot to play in the NBA, he is an elite leaper and he is fast and long. He could become a very good NBA player if he ever develops a shot. But I can see him getting better and with some additional coaching become a defensive stopper. I don’t think he grew up playing the game but his measurable’s have to be off the chart. He is a top of the square leaper, he gets up faster than anyone I have seen. When he was rolling to the hoop you could see what would happen to Edey in pick roll coverage at the next level. He made Edey look very slow granted he was exhausted but he looked like his feet were in concrete. One of his dunks he took off nearer the foul line than the hoop. Made it look simple.

I think Alex will play in the NBA and I think he is going to find a way to stick. Next year will be huge for him if he stays or even if he goes. But I do think he can play himself into a for certain late first round pick if he decides to stay. I think Stewart has a shot to be an NBA player. If he starts hitting that three point shot gets in better shape he looks to have good instincts and looks very smooth. Shoot I think we may never see how good Ross could be or at least not in a Huskie uniform.

Point being there could be five or six NBA players on this team when all is said and done. If that happens which I think it could we will creep up the rankings. I think time will help this team be appreciated not only for the feat of the repeat but they may just have a few players that turn out to be very good if not great at the next level.

I saw one poll where we were not in the top 25 all time…..I question that. Simple reason the players are better today than they were in the 70’s and 80’s. Sure there were stars but the players now are bigger and all around better athletes. I am making a general statement. I understand each generation has greats like David Thompson but Burelson the big man on that team could not move nearly as well as Clingan. Jordan was Jordan and that Carolina team with Worthy I will submit was -probably better.

But player for player the players in 2024 are bigger and faster than the players that played in the late 60’s 70’s and 80’s. Again conceding that Johnson, Bird and Jordan came in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The college world was not flush with guys 6’7” or taller who could make 40% of their shots from further than 23 ft in the years that produced the all time greats mentioned.

i would love to see a statistic /chart showing how many 5* players it takes for each team per National Championship earned. (like an assist to turnover ratio) If you ever questioned how good the Uconn coaching has been over last 25 years this Stat would show it. We do way more with way less than anyone out there.

 

[UC0NN]

I think K had 3X five stars than Uconn

 

[That Guy]

If it was Duke, UNC or Kentucky doing what we did it would be all anyone is talking about.

We're not a sexy, hyped up brand like those 3. To be fair, I don't think Kansas is either. Those 3 are national brands with a bunch of bandwagon fans and I'm perfectly ok with us hanging around in the background without all of this crazy hype and media attention.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I believe one contributing factor was that we are not a Worldwide Leader program.

This ties into a second contributing factor in which I suspect Fox Sports is limiting BE exposure at the moment as they believe they will drive up the cost of the next TV deal if they promote the conference or individual schools

The agenda that the P-whatever is currently pushing, that the BE is not a major/power conference, is also a contributing factor.

If we maintain a high level of play, we'll eventually receive due recognition.

 

[Zonepress]

I think it is going to take a couple years to answer this question. If Donovan becomes a dominant DPY in the NBA and Castle becomes an All Star or solid starter then it will start.

If Tristen can play a few good years in the NBA and Spencer gets a two way contract and plays some then you have four in the league.

I really think Samson has a shot to play in the NBA, he is an elite leaper and he is fast and long. He could become a very good NBA player if he ever develops a shot. But I can see him getting better and with some additional coaching become a defensive stopper. I don’t think he grew up playing the game but his measurable’s have to be off the chart. He is a top of the square leaper, he gets up faster than anyone I have seen. When he was rolling to the hoop you could see what would happen to Edey in pick roll coverage at the next level. He made Edey look very slow granted he was exhausted but he looked like his feet were in concrete. One of his dunks he took off nearer the foul line than the hoop. Made it look simple.

I think Alex will play in the NBA and I think he is going to find a way to stick. Next year will be huge for him if he stays or even if he goes. But I do think he can play himself into a for certain late first round pick if he decides to stay. I think Stewart has a shot to be an NBA player. If he starts hitting that three point shot gets in better shape he looks to have good instincts and looks very smooth. Shoot I think we may never see how good Ross could be or at least not in a Huskie uniform.

Point being there could be five or six NBA players on this team when all is said and done. If that happens which I think it could we will creep up the rankings. I think time will help this team be appreciated not only for the feat of the repeat but they may just have a few players that turn out to be very good if not great at the next level.

I saw one poll where we were not in the top 25 all time…..I question that. Simple reason the players are better today than they were in the 70’s and 80’s. Sure there were stars but the players now are bigger and all around better athletes. I am making a general statement. I understand each generation has greats like David Thompson but Burelson the big man on that team could not move nearly as well as Clingan. Jordan was Jordan and that Carolina team with Worthy I will submit was -probably better.

But player for player the players in 2024 are bigger and faster than the players that played in the late 60’s 70’s and 80’s. Again conceding that Johnson, Bird and Jordan came in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The college world was not flush with guys 6’7” or taller who could make 40% of their shots from further than 23 ft in the years that produced the all time greats mentioned.

Never saw the point of comparing eras
Imho the Cbb was a very different and better product
When players stayed 3-4 years
That being said the eye test and the margin
Of victory shows UConn had the most dominant
Ncaa tournaments the last 2 years since the great ucla teams

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Did we have the experience of watching better-played college basketball than any other fanbase?
So long as we actually watched, yes, And isn't that a reward in itself? Yes, especially with the additional validation that came from watching the NCAA Tournament games.

Is everybody who is not us going to get it? No. Does it matter? Not to them. To us? Somewhat, but not as much, I repeat, as our getting it.

And keep in mind, to the extent that this forum represent one of the topmost knowledgeable, passionate, and experienced gatherings of UConn fans, we've been slow to regard UConn as highly as now seems warranted, and still retain a measure of reserve that won't be cured by people who've seen less than we have 'blessing' our lived experience that is deeper and precedes theirs.

 

[IndyLives]

Hard for regular or casual fans to follow college BB today in the era of the transfer portal, NIL, and 1 and dones. uConn has been dominant a team the past 2 years as has been, but ask anyone outside Storrs who their star players are and most couldn't answer. Just the era we are in.

 

[August_West]

I think K had 3X five stars than Uconn

The actual real number over last 15 years is 18x. Seriously

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Same here, and I have a suspicion that the women’s ratings were a lie. I don’t know many people who watched that game, yet I knew a lot of fans of other programs who caught the men’s game. I think it was part of a narrative to benefit ESPN and also help save the WNBA

Huh? You know that the ratings estimates come from a third party (Nielsen), right? What incentive would they have to fudge the numbers and risk the credibility of their entire business? I watched and know plenty of folks that watched.

 

[Scottzer]

Huh? You know that the ratings estimates come from a third party (Nielsen), right? What incentive would they have to fudge the numbers and risk the credibility of their entire business? I watched and know plenty of folks that watched.

Huh? You know that the ratings estimates come from a third party (Nielsen), right? What incentive would they have to fudge the numbers and risk the credibility of their entire business? I watched and know plenty of folks that watched.

I just have a hard time believing that the 2024 women’s title game more than doubled last year’s viewership. It’s not like there weren’t story lines last year, and the men’s game had a far more interesting matchup for a mere 4 percent increase year over year. To me, it doesn’t add up.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I just have a hard time believing that the 2024 women’s title game more than doubled last year’s viewership. It’s not like there weren’t story lines last year, and the men’s game had a far more interesting matchup for a mere 4 percent increase year over year. To me, it doesn’t add up.

It was Caitlin Clark. Whether you appreciate it or not, she was the number one storyline in college basketball over the past few years as a whole by a wide margin. She was not in the championship game last year (and had not broken the scoring record), so of course there will be a huge bump.

The men’s game this year did not have superstars recognizable to the casual viewer. Edey was he closest but he was very boring to watch to the average viewer.

I doubt the ratings bump lasts and I doubt it carries over to the WNBA much (maybe a bit at the beginning) but it makes perfect sense to me that the ratings ballooned.

 

[Spaceman213J]

I was flipping back and forth after the game to see what everyone was saying, and I forget if it was Bilas and maybe Kenny Smith who was talking about this team being underappreciated and 5, 10 and even 20 years from now, how this team will be the team put up in the side by side shots of future teams going for records and measuring their dominance. Their point was how has time goes on, these last two UConn teams will be appreciated more and more.
It is also a result of the way they play. They have stars. They just have stars who don't need to be the one shining the brightest every game. I think the word the describes the best is a simple word and what they are: T-E-A-M!

 

[MuchoDogYears]

I just have a hard time believing that the 2024 women’s title game more than doubled last year’s viewership. It’s not like there weren’t story lines last year, and the men’s game had a far more interesting matchup for a mere 4 percent increase year over year. To me, it doesn’t add up.

The Caitlin Clark factor.

The women’s sports media collective have been promoting the narrative that this is the breakout year which will change forever Americas interest in women’s college basketball.

Look, I follow the UConn women and tune in for their big games. The rest of women’s college games I don’t typically watch. Ever. This year I tuned in, on the radio in my car, to listen to the 1st quarter of the championship game between Iowa and SC. When SC started shutting down Clark and pulled ahead I turned it off.

Point being that I strongly…strongly …suspect that most viewers who drove the ratings up for the women’s NCAA games this year did so to catch Caitlin Clark, who was and is a national phenomena.

That being said, I strongly suspect that no actual seismic shift in America’s interest in women’s college basketball has taken place.

The narrative being promoted is that this is just the beginning of things and that Clark has passed the baton to Paige and JuJu, etc and the ratings will soar next year now that America is all in.

What I see is that Caitlin Clark captured America’s imagination. And now she’s gone off to the niche market that is the WNBA. Next years NCAA viewership I expect to drop dramatically from this years. We’ll see.

 

[superjohn]

The Caitlin Clark factor.

The women’s sports media collective have been promoting the narrative that this is the breakout year which will change forever Americas interest in women’s college basketball.

Look, I follow the UConn women and tune in for their big games. The rest of women’s college games I don’t typically watch. Ever. This year I tuned in, on the radio in my car, to listen to the 1st quarter of the championship game between Iowa and SC. When SC started shutting down Clark and pulled ahead I turned it off.

Point being that I strongly…strongly …suspect that most viewers who drove the ratings up for the women’s NCAA games this year did so to catch Caitlin Clark, who was and is a national phenomena.

That being said, I strongly suspect that no actual seismic shift in America’s interest in women’s college basketball has taken place.

The narrative being promoted is that this is just the beginning of things and that Clark has passed the baton to Paige and JuJu, etc and the ratings will soar next year now that America is all in.

What I see is that Caitlin Clark captured America’s imagination. And now she’s gone off to the niche market that is the WNBA. Next years NCAA viewership I expect to drop dramatically from this years. We’ll see.

It's all Caitlin Clark.

 

[TheChamps990411]

If it was Duke, UNC or Kentucky doing what we did it would be all anyone is talking about.

This is correct. Itd be 24 hour coverage and hype on BSPN. Im not in the least bit surprised though. When we beat Dook in 99 it was mostly about how this histrorically great team lost. In 2004 it was "well its the Uconn invitational because theyve got the best team so no big deal". 2011 it was "cardiac Kemba in an amazing run and it was Kemba, Kemba, Kemba not so much Uconn winning its 3rd national title. 2014 was "It was they were banned because of violation of the rules. Did we mention they violated rules? 2023 "Well they didnt really beat anyone". This year it was "how about that Catelyn Clark? Its always something and it always will be when we win. The media across the country despises whats happening in Storrs. Its not a Uconn fan derangement its a fact and im fine with it. Lets just keep winning titles. They loved when we were down and left us for dead after 2014 but we are back and not going anywere for the foreseeable future.

 

[businesslawyer]

The Caitlin Clark factor.

The women’s sports media collective have been promoting the narrative that this is the breakout year which will change forever Americas interest in women’s college basketball.

Look, I follow the UConn women and tune in for their big games. The rest of women’s college games I don’t typically watch. Ever. This year I tuned in, on the radio in my car, to listen to the 1st quarter of the championship game between Iowa and SC. When SC started shutting down Clark and pulled ahead I turned it off.

Point being that I strongly…strongly …suspect that most viewers who drove the ratings up for the women’s NCAA games this year did so to catch Caitlin Clark, who was and is a national phenomena.

That being said, I strongly suspect that no actual seismic shift in America’s interest in women’s college basketball has taken place.

The narrative being promoted is that this is just the beginning of things and that Clark has passed the baton to Paige and JuJu, etc and the ratings will soar next year now that America is all in.

What I see is that Caitlin Clark captured America’s imagination. And now she’s gone off to the niche market that is the WNBA. Next years NCAA viewership I expect to drop dramatically from this years. We’ll see.

This. 100 per cent.

Look, we’re UConn. It would be great for our athletic department as a whole if women’s hoops became as economically important to college sports as men’s basketball and they both elevated each other towards football importance. Let it happen. But if next year’s women basketball numbers are 20% higher on a lasting basis than the pre-Clarke baseline, I’d be shocked.